Highlights of PM Modi’s Visit to Gujarat on 24th and 25th February 2024Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Gujarat on the 24th and 25th of February, 2024. During the visit, he inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs. 52,250 crore.
Inaugurations During the visit:
i.5 AIIMS at Rajkot, Bathinda, Raebareli, Kalyani, and Mangalagiri.
ii.Cable-stayed ‘Sudarshan Setu’ bridge in Gujarat.
iii.21 projects of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) worth around Rs 2280 crores.
He laid the foundation stone for:
i.New Mundra-Panipat pipeline project worth over Rs 9000 crores
ii.More than 200 Health Care Infrastructure Projects worth more than Rs 11,500 crore across 23 States /Union Territories (UTs)
About Gujarat
Capital – Gandhinagar
Chief Minister – Bhupendra Patel
Governor – Acharya Devvrat
Wildlife sanctuaries – Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary
Zoological Park – Sakkarbaug zoo, Dr. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Zoological Garden (Sarthana Nature Park)

NIA signs MoU with Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine India’s NIA & Thailand’s DTAM signed MoU to collaborate in Ayurveda & Thai Traditional Medicine
On February 27, 2024, The National Institute of Ayurveda(NIA), Jaipur(Rajasthan) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine(DTAM), Ministry of Public Health, Government of the Kingdom of Thailand, to establish Academic Collaboration in Ayurveda and Thai Traditional Medicine.
Note: NIA is an apex autonomous Institute under the aegis of Ministry of AYUSH(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India.
Signatories:
The MoU was signed by Bishwajit Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Ayush; and Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, Director General (DG) of DTAM during the 10th India-Thailand Joint Commission Meeting held at Hyderabad House, New Delhi, Delhi.
Key Points:
i.The MoU aims to foster academic collaboration in Ayurveda and Thai Traditional Medicine based on equality and mutual benefit of the Participants.
ii.It facilitates the exchange of experts, research, training programs, and technical activities.
iii.Both parties will support each other with mutual cooperation and collaborative activities, including conducting research studies, visits, among others.
iv.The NIA and DTAM, will share information on regulatory mechanisms, best practices, guidelines, and courses of study.
v.The MoU includes organizing conferences and meetings alternately in India and Thailand and reviewing the progress and evaluation of collaborative programs.
About Thailand:
Prime Minister– Srettha Thavisin
Capital– Bangkok
Currency– Thai Baht

Adani Group unveils India’s 1st & South Asia’s Largest Ammunition twin-facility complex in KanpurOn 26th February 2024, Adani Defence and Aerospace, a part of Adani Group, unveiled its India’s first private sector ammunition-missile manufacturing complex in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP). The complex spread over 500 acres is set to become South Asia’s largest integrated ammunition manufacturing Complex.
Key People: The twin facility complex was inaugurated by Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister(CM) of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Chief of Army Staff (CAS) General Manoj Pande.
Significance:
i.The complex, unveiled on the occasion of 5th anniversary of the ‘Operation Bandar’, was dedicated to the warriors of Balakot airstrike.

• ‘Operation Bandar’ is the name of Indian Air Force’s (IAF) airstrikes on the Balakot terror camp in Pakistan on 26th February 2019. This was the retaliation to the Pulwama terrorist attack in India on 14th February 2019.

ii.This also marks the first leg of the UP’s defence corridor.
About the Kanpur Complex:
i.The Kanpur complex, with a planned investment of over Rs 3,000 crore, will create around 4,000 jobs and benefit Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
ii.It will produce high-quality small, medium and large calibre ammunition for the armed forces, paramilitary forces and police.
iii.Initial output targets 150 million rounds, covering 25% of India’s annual requirement.
iv.Phase one includes 32 ammunition in 12 categories; for phase two five more categories is already approved.
Background:
i.In 2022, UP Industrial Development Authority (UPIDA) signed a pact with Adani Aerospace and Defence to develop Kanpur into South Asia’s largest arms and ammunition manufacturing facility.
ii.Adani Defence System and Technologies Limited (ADSTL) acquired 202 hectares of land to build four cutting-edge manufacturing units for small and medium calibre ammunition and short-range air defence missiles.
iii.Adani Group’s Carroballista Systems Limited (CSL) and Agneya Systems Limited (ASL) were formed to produce various guns and ammunition types, partnering with Israeli and Bulgarian firms.

• CSL will manufacture gun systems while ADSTL will produce various ammunition types annually, including artillery shells, grenades, and rocket-propelled grenades.

MoSDE launches ‘SWAYAM Plus Platform’ to Boost Employability and Professional DevelopmentOn 27th February 2024, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MoSDE), launched the SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Plus Platform from New Delhi, Delhi.

• The SWAYAM plus offers employability and professional development focused courses developed collaboratively with industry players like Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Microsoft, CISCO.
• SWAYAM Plus platform is the upgraded version of the existing SWAYAM portal.

Points to note:
i.During the launch, agreements were exchanged between the Swayam and industry partners including Apnatime Tech Pvt. Ltd., L&T EduTech, Tata Consultancy Services Limited, The Job Plus and People’s Network, Wadhwani Foundation (Skill Development Network), Medvarsity Online Limited, Smartbridge Educational Services Pvt. Ltd, Anaadi Foundation, 360Digi TMG, and Balani Infotech Private Limited for launching industry courses on SWAYAM Plus.
ii.SWAYAM Plus will establish a professional development ecosystem; Provide credit recognition for certifications; Reach learners nationwide; Offer employment-focused courses in vernacular languages; and Introduce value-added services like mentorship and job placements.
Features of SWAYAM Plus:
i.AI-Enabled chatbot: To assist the students choose the right courses based on their needs.
ii.Credit Recognition: Credit equivalency shall be established for courses offered by industry players. enables students to get credits for their degree requirements.
SWAYAM portal:
i.MoE launched SWAYAM, the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platform in 2017 to provide educational opportunities for learners.
ii.The portal offers multilingual content, AI (Artificial Intelligence) guidance, and pathways to employment.
iii.At present, the portal has one crore registrations, with 4 crore total enrolment.
The credit of these free courses are accepted by 297 Universities.
Participants:
Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, Chairperson, University Grants Commission (UGC); Dr. Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Chairperson, National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET), Rajesh Nambiar, Chairperson, National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), Prof. (Dr.) T G Sitharam, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education were present during the event.

Ministry of AYUSH & RIS signed MoU for Enhancements in Ayush Service SectorThe Ministry of AYUSH(Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring out an overview of the Ayush Service sector and to foster academic cooperation and collaboration with RIS.
Note: RIS is a New Delhi–based autonomous policy research institute under the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Signatories: The MoU was signed by Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary , Ministry of Ayush, and Prof Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General of RIS in New Delhi, Delhi.
Features of the MoU
i.The MoU will strengthen academic cooperation and collaboration to undertake research, policy dialogue, and publications for national, regional and international.
ii.This will also enhance the capacity building in the field of Indian Traditional Medicine.
iii.This will also ensure to bring out Ayush Service Sector overview in a time bound frame.
iv.This will also ensure academic cooperation between the Ministry of Ayush and RIS includes the continuance of the Forum on Indian Traditional Medicine (FITM).
Note: FITM is continuously working toward the requirement of having a broad overview of market estimates, product standardisation, regulations, etc. in international trade.
Additional info:
RIS will produce a report on Ayush Service Sector in a time bound manner. This will be similar to the ‘Ayush Sector in India: Prospects and Challenges’ report published by RIS in 2021.

ICG Conducts ‘Day at Sea’ off Chennai Harbour to Celebrate its 48th Raising Day
On 25th February 2024, as a part of the events planned to celebrate the 48th Raising Day of Indian Coast Guard(ICG), ICG Regional Headquarters (East) organised “A Day at Sea” off Chennai Harbour(Chennai, Tamil Nadu).

• 8 ships of ICG, with around 1,500 guests sailed out from Chennai harbour on a voyage to witness operational prowess and ICG’s capabilities at sea.
• This was organised During the event, ICG ships, aircraft and helicopters demonstrated the operational capabilities of ICG.

Note:ICG celebrated its 48th Raising Day on 1st February 2024.

Innoviti & RBL Bank Partnered to set up Omnium, a Payment Platform for Progressive RetailersRBL Bank and Bengaluru (Karnataka)-based Innoviti Technologies Pvt. Ltd. have collaborated to create Omnium, an advanced omnichannel payments platform designed for forward-thinking retailers in India.

• This platform utilizes retailer data and streamlines business processes to facilitate faster growth with minimal effort.

Key Points:
i.Innoviti used a modern domain-driven design methodology to develop omnium.
The platform integrates RBL Bank’s modern banking and payment Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to enable fast, seamless, and secure payment integration.
ii.It enables retailers to integrate business processes across HR (Human Resource), Enterprise resource planning (ERP), and marketing platforms with payment events for precise impact measurement and performance benchmarking.
iii.Features modern payment gateway and terminal functionalities for seamless online and offline consumer touchpoints.
iv.Key features include product-specific payment promotions, price and promotion benchmarking, real-time transaction attribution to promotions, and collaborative budget sharing for targeted promotions.
v.Innoviti Technologies has an in-principle approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to act as a Payment Aggregator.
About RBL Bank:
RBL Bank was formerly known as Ratnakar Bank Limited.
Managing Director & CEO– R Subramaniakumar
Headquarters– Mumbai, Maharashtra
Establishment– 1943
Tagline– Apno ka Bank

Amazon Pay received Online Payment Aggregator licence from RBI
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) granted final authorisation to Bengaluru (Karnataka) based Amazon Pay (India) Private Limited (formerly Amazon Online Distribution Services Private Limited) to act as a Online Payment Aggregator (PA). 

• Amazon Pay received in-principle approval from RBI to operate as a PA in 2023.
• The license paves way for Amazon Pay to offer online merchant payment services to its clients.
• The Certificates of Authorisation (CoA) for Setting up and Operating Payment System in India is issued by RBI under Section 7 of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.
• It is to be noted that “Amazon Pay balance: Money” also received Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) licence from RBI in 2017.
• Amazon Pay is a digital payment subsidiary of Amazon Retail India Private Limited.

ICICI Bank Acquired Additional Stake of 1.41% in ICICI Lombard
ICICI Bank Limited has increased its stake in ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company (ILGIC) by acquiring an additional 1.41% paid-up share capital through an open market transaction.

• The acquisition increased ICICI Bank’s stake to 49.32% from 47.91% (as of December 2023).
• ICICI Lombard sold about 69,82,852 shares through multiple block deals on the stock exchanges at Rs 1,666.35 a share to ICICI Bank .
• After the acquisition, ICICI Lombard will become a subsidiary of ICICI Bank.
• ICICI Bank also received approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to carry out the deal.

TU-142M Naval Aircraft Museum Inaugurated at Kakinada, APOn 26th February 2024, India’s 3rd Aircraft Museum featuring Indian Navy(IN)’s decommissioned TU-142M aircraft was inaugurated at Kakinada Beach Park in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh(AP).

• The aircraft museum was inaugrated by Geetha Viswanath Vanga, Member of Parliament(MP), Lok Sabha(Kakinada, AP).
• This Aircraft Museum was developed by Kakinada Urban Development Authority (KUDA) with an investment of Rs. 5.89 crore.

Note:
i.This is also the 2nd Aircraft Museum of AP.
ii.The first TU-142M aircraft Museum in India was established in Visakhapatnam, AP in 2017 and the 2nd was established in Kolkata, West Bengal in 2022.
Key People: R. Chandrakala Deepthi, Chairperson of KUDA; P. Ramakrishna, Vice-Chairman of KUDA; Kakinada Rural Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kurasala Kannababu; and other officials graced the inaugural event.
About IN’s TU-142M Aircraft:
Tu-142M is a Long Range Maritime Surveillance and Anti-Submarine Warfare Aircraft designed by the Tupolev Design Bureau. It was manufactured by the Kuibyshev Aviation and Taganrog Machinery plants.
The aircraft operated by the Indian Navy since 1988 and was decommissioned in 2017. It was replaced by the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.
Key Points:
i.The Aircraft Museum aims to offer an opportunity for the public to explore the functioning of a decommissioned military aircraft, and inspire youth to consider careers in the defence forces.
ii.Various amusement facilities have also been developed adjacent to the aircraft museum.
iii.Detailed exhibits showcase the TU-142M’s service history and operations, emphasizing its technological prowess and strategic significance in aviation history.

Indian Army inducted DRDO Developed 46-metre Modular BridgeMinistry of Defence (MoD) announced that a 46-metre modular bridge Military Load Classification-70(MLC-70) was inducted into the Indian Army (IA) in a ceremony held at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, Delhi.

• The bridge was indigenously designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and produced by Mumbai (Maharashtra) headquartered Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited.

Key People:
The ceremony was attended by General Manoj Pande, Chief of the Army Staff along with senior dignitaries from IA, DRDO, and MoD.
About Modular Bridge:
i.The modular bridge is a mechanically-launched single-span, fully-decked assault bridge.
ii.It consists of seven carrier vehicles (based on 8×8 Heavy Mobility Vehicles) and two launcher vehicles (based on 10×10 Heavy Mobility Vehicles).
iii.It is a highly mobile & rugged bridge which is designed for quick deployment and to overcome obstacles such as canals and ditches with ease thereby enhancing IA’s bridging capabilities.
iv.This Modular Bridge will replace the currently used, manually launched Medium Girder Bridges (MGBs).

• Compared with MGB,  Modular Bridge has an increased span, less time for construction and can be mechanically launched with retrieval capability.

Additional Info:
i.About 41 sets of Modular Bridges(valued at Rs.2,585 Crores) will be inducted into IA in the next four years.
ii.The induction will showcase India’s growing prominence in defence technology and manufacturing thereby underscoring India’s commitment to ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and self-reliance in defence production.
About Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO):
DRDO  is the Research & Development (R&D) wing of Ministry of Defence.
Chairman – Samir Vankatpati Kamat
Headquarters– New Delhi, Delhi
Established in – 1958

Khelo India Winter Games 2024:  Army Tops Medal Tally with 21 MedalsThe Indian Army finished top and clinched the overall trophy in the Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) 2024 by winning 21 medals (10 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze).

• Karnataka secured second place with 11 medals (9 gold and 2 silver), and Maharashtra secured third place with 22 medals (7 gold, 8 silver, and 7 bronze).
• The mascot of the KIWG 2024 is a snow leopard. It has been named ‘Sheen-e-She’ or Shan in Ladakh region.
• The army team won the men’s ice Hockey title, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team won the women’s title.
• The 28-year-old certified trainer and mountaineer, Bhavani Thekkada Nanjunda of Karnataka was the only athlete to win hattrick gold medals.
• The fourth edition of KIWG was held in two stages with six sports events.
• The first stage has two ice sports (Ice Hockey & Ice Skating) held from 2nd to 6th Feb 2024 in Leh, Ladakh.
• The second stage has four snow sports (Ski Mountaineering, Alpine Skiing, Snowboard & Nordic Skiing) held from 21st to 25th February 2024 in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.

About the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS):
Union Minister– Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Nisith Pramanik (Constituency- Coochbehar, West Bengal)

Renowned Ghazal Singer & Padma Shri Awardee Pankaj Keshubhai Udhas Passed AwayA prominent Indian Ghazal singer and Padma Shri awardee Pankaj Keshubhai Udhas passed away at the age of 72 in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was born on 17 May 1951 in Jetpur, Saurashtra, Gujarat.
Awards/Honours:
Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for arts in 2006. .
About Pankaj Keshubhai Udhas:
i.His first song credit was in the K Chatterjee-directed film Kaamna (1972).
ii.He released his debut Ghazal album called ‘Aahat’ in 1980. His noted albums includes “Mukarar” (1981); “Tarrannum” (1982); “Mehfil” (1983); “Nayaab” (1985), etc.
iii.He gained popularity as a professional singer with his song “Chitthi Aayee Hai” from the movie “Naam” (1986), directed by Mahesh Bhatt.

• His most recent song as a playback singer was for the film Dil Toh Deewana Hai (2016).

iv.He started a talent show ‘Aadab Arz Hai’ on Sony TV to find the new Ghazal Talent.

Goa Governor PS Sreedharan Pillai unveiled his New Book “Basic Structure and Republic”
PS Sreedharan Pillai, Governor of  Goa, has penned his 212th book titled “Basic Structure and Republic”. Mar Joseph Perumthottam, Archbishop of Changanacherry (Kerala) released the book during the book release function held in Raj Bhavan, Panaji, Goa.

• The first copy of the book was received by Subhash Shirodkar, Goa’s Minister for Water Resources Department, Cooperation and Provedoria.
• The book is based on the Golden Jubilee speeches, particularly the Kesavananda Bharati versus Sanyasi case which is the longest-ever hearing of the Supreme Court (sixty-six days).

Rita Shreedharan Pillai, first lady of Goa and Sadanand Shet Tanawde, Member of Parliament(Rajya Sabha – North Goa) were present during the event.

National Science Day 2024 – February 28 National Science Day (NSD) is annually observed across India on 28 February to commemorate the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’, a Nobel Prize-winning discovery by the Indian physicist Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (CV Raman) in 1928.

• NSD also aims to raise awareness about the significance of Science in daily life and to celebrate the contributions of scientists towards the development of India.